Shadow men: The third wheel of public transport in Ghana

The literature on urban transport in Ghana focus exclusively on the state of
buses, drivers and transport unions, much to the neglect of a group of
workers referred to as “shadow men.” Their function is to help fill these
buses with passengers. This paper explores the activities of these shadow
men, their origin, and their contributions to the growth of urban transport.
The researchers selected a total of 47 respondents for the study. The
researchers conducted interviews with the Head of Department of Urban
Transport of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Head of Ghana
Private Road Transport Union, and then purposely selected 25 of these
shadow men, 4 trotro drivers, 6 trotro mates, and 10 passengers in Kumasi,
Ghana’s second largest city. In addition to these interviews, the researchers
held two focus group discussions that involved drivers and drivers’ mates
(conductors) in one group, and passengers in another group. Thematic
analysis was used to analyze the data. The research found that there are
two broad categories of shadow men: those engaged in it as a full-time
business, and out-of-work drivers and drivers’ mates who rely on it for
income until they have a new bus to work with. The findings also underscore
the lucrative nature of the work and the city authorities’ indifference to the
shadow men. Shadow men are essential to the urban transport sector in
Ghana and should therefore be given considerable attention by academics,
and included in the plans of city authorities.